Books and my backpack

When I glanced at this book’s title, I thought, “Perfect. A travel adventure book. To Alaska!”

But I was wrong. Looking for Alaska is indeed a journey, but the teen-aged protagonist travels through his eventful life in a new boarding school.

This is no ordinary coming-of-age story. Divided into two sections, before and after, John Green tells a tale filled with poignant happenings in the life of Miles “Pudge” Halter. One event is a defining, shocking moment where the “after” story begins. (No spoiler here.)

Obsessed with famous last words, Pudge falls into the world of the Great Perhaps with Alaska Young. She feeds his sense of humor, challenges his tendency to play it safe, and captures his heart. The entertaining story may move you to consider your own journey to self-discovery.

Looking for Alaska is one more in a series of young adult novels that have kept me away from my usual non-fiction leanings. I am drawn to the YA genre for stories that take me back to my own teen-aged years and my struggle to find myself. Like Pudge, I found a friend in high school who accepted me for who I was, giving me confidence that changed everything. I am thankful every day for that friendship.

Looking for Alaska was Green’s debut novel. He has written many more, including The Fault of Our Stars, selling a total of 50 million copies.

When we arrived in Tucson in early January, I poked the AllTrails app to look for a moderate day hike to get us started. I was stunned. Dots all over my phone’s screen and “500 trails” in the blank space across the bottom. I zoomed in to focus on trailheads within about a half hour drive. Still, 200 trails filled the map. Where do I begin?

Since that day, Sue and I have climbed mountains, hiked to waterfalls, meandered through canyons, and marveled at the varied cacti everywhere. Sue got so close to a cholla that a lemon-sized piece attached itself to her. A warning: cholla hurt—a lot—and are tough to remove.

Clusters of trails abound in the foothills and spectacular mountains that surround Tucson. Many have detailed maps posted at intersections. We discovered trekking adventures in Saguaro National Park, both the west and east sections, and in the expansive Tucson Mountain Park, accessible at several trailhead parking lots. We walked a few times at the Sweetwater Preserve. Then we drove 45 minutes to trails in Catalina State Park.

It has been in the 60s and 70s most days, interrupted by five or six days of rain, which many around here have complained about. They have no idea. Have they ever lived in Oregon?